New school in east Loveland gets the go-ahead

The board of education voted unanimously Wednesday to approve the drafting of a request for proposal

By Jessica Maher Reporter-Herald Staff Writer

Posted:
12/19/2012 09:21:38 PM MST

A proposal for a new school in east Loveland was revived on Wednesday when the Thompson School District Board of Education gave the go-ahead to look for a design team.

The school -- which would be located in the High Plains area and partially funded by the tax incremental financing (TIF) in the Centerra metropolitan district -- was discussed several years ago, with community forums held in 2008. It was shelved due to economic conditions.

The K-5 or K-8 school would draw on the High Plains Environmental Center in focusing on nature and sustainability concepts and the school could also have a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) component.

The board heard a presentation on the potential school last week and voted unanimously Wednesday to approve the drafting of a request for proposal. It's expected to be sent out in mid-January for design bids that would then have to be approved by the board.

The subject of school safety also played a large role in Wednesday's regular meeting, with board president Sharon Olson leading the meeting with a statement on the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy.

"We cannot begin to imagine the emptiness and pain felt by that community," Olson said. "We want parents, students and staff of the Thompson School District to know we have been and will continue to be vigilant to assure the safety of our students and staff."

That will likely mean auditing of each school's current policies, procedures and mechanisms, a series of community meetings to discuss school safety and a tasking a committee to oversee school safety information and bring that to the board, Superintendent Stan Scheer said.

"We cannot afford not to be very, very intense about school safety," he said.

During his tenure as superintendent of the Murrieta Unified School District in California, Scheer installed bank alarms in every elementary school. He used that as an example of an action that could be taken within the Thompson School District but said the community would have to come together to discuss options. He also stressed the importance of working with local law enforcement.

He met this week with Loveland Police Chief Luke Hecker and said the police department as well as the Larimer County Sheriff's Office have worked closely with the district over the past week.

"I think it's critical that we have a conversation with the community and that we do everything we can to work with our local law enforcement folks," Scheer said.

This week, the district has responded to a variety of rumors as well as concern that parents and students have expressed over Friday and the Mayan predictions, Scheer said, noting that all rumors have been investigated and unfounded.

Also on Wednesday:

-- The board approved a variety of personnel recommendations, including Kim Young as principal of Mountain View High School. Young was appointed interim principal in August. Michael Hausmann was hired as the district's new public information officer, following restructuring in the communications department. He will start in January.

-- School fees were set for the 2013-14 school year, unchanged over the current year. A new $150 fee for first-time high school football players was also approved. Officials said the new fee is due to increasing equipment costs.

-- Monroe Elementary and Thompson Online held public hearings and presented improvement plans, as required by the state after being recommended for accredited with priority improvement plans based on performance.

-- The board held an executive session for positions relative to matters subject to negotiation. Bargaining units have asked the board to consider reinstating cut positions based on the condition of the budget, Scheer said. Action was not expected.

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